The “Little Tibet” of India, Ladakh, is a fantastic place for food lovers. The Ladakh region shares borders with Pakistan, Kashmir and China and Ladakh’s cuisine is a combination of all these influences. Here is a selection of 5 famous traditional dishes of Ladakh that will give you an insight into the region’s unique food culture.
Momos
These are authentically Tibetan but more often labelled as purely Chinese. Momos are generally called dumplings as well. Ladakhi momos are quite famous around the globe, let alone the nation. The people here steam or fry momos in different ways and shapes.
Each vendor or cook in Ladakh has a different style to make momos. These styles are significant evidence of each person’s ethnicity if anyone studies it at a deeper level. Nonetheless, some momos found here are spicy, while others are crispy.
Many of them have different stuffings put in. Some momos will be vegetarian, while others have chicken or other meat stuff in them.
In Ladakh, the most authentic way to cook momos is by using Mokto. In this vessel, the bottom port has boiled water, while other levels have small holes, allowing the steam to pass through, cooking those dumplings inside with the heat.
Often spicy chutney works best with these momos. However, there’s no hard & fast rule. You can pig out these momos with ketchup available at any vendor selling them.
Thukpa
It is a famous Tibetan noodle soup dish holding a candle against the importance of momos in Ladakh. The best part of this dish are the noodles made authentically in the local kitchen. Most cooks knead the flour nicely, taking their time to adjust the flour’s level of moisture.
Then the flour is rolled out thin. By the time one cook prepares the strings, the other one cuts the yummy and locally grown vegetables for boiling the broth. These vegetables usually include onions, garlic, and tomatoes.
However, it depends upon the way each restaurant that bakes it. Some people often include meat into the broth, while others only take advantage of the home-grown vegetables. Thus, after the boiling broth starts, those flour strings or noodles are poured into the broth. It takes probably about 15-20 minutes for the dish to be ready to serve. And as it cooks, the salty and tangy aroma accentuates the entire expanse. 
Chutagi
In Ladakhi language, “chu-tagi” literally means “water-bread”. That’s one of the signature dishes of Ladakh. If you visit Ladakh, you cannot miss this dish. It is a fine mix of the bow-like dumpling dipped inside the broth or the soup that generally consists of spinach, carrots, and tomatoes.
It’s another fact that every Ladakhi mother knows how to make a perfect Chutagi. So, wherever you go in Ladakh, it’s one of the staple items that please your taste buds from the first sip.
Ladakhi Pulao
For the best luncheon at any Ladakhi region, this pulao should be your first choice. Every grain of rice in this pulao is worth the time it takes to cook. It is often mixed with mutton stock, caramelised carrots and onion at the local restaurants or diner.
Though, this dish is often cooked more at local villages or homes. Often, you miss out on the chance to try at restaurants. If you are staying at a guest house or a homestay, ask for this dish for sure. More than that, you can even ask the cook to add the vegetables of your choice whenever that dish is prepared at home.
However, eating it with mutton stock with the dressing of caramelised carrots is the most popular way to try it. 
Tigmo
It’s one of those dishes that travellers eat at any time in Ladakh. It has a flavoursome taste because of the abundant quantity of the numerous vegetables poured in with the stew. So, most people treat it as they like: as a side dish or as one of the items in the main course of the day. It is also served with fermented bread pieces prepared at home. You can even ask the cook to add meat if that is what you want to try as your first Ladakhi Tigmo.
